Alphabet looks primed for its next leg higher after consolidating sideways all year. A move to the top of its range would be about 30% in under three months, and Q3 earnings plus the Anthropic IPO are the likely catalysts to get it there. x.comÂ
Matt C
Cybersecurity Engineer, Bitcoin Background Since 2014
Google Cloud's accelerating growth positions it to lead the AI cloud market, strengthening Alphabet beyond Search. It may pass Azure next quarter, then AWS, rising from #3 to #1 in 18-24 months. Selling its Anthropic stake could fund 12-18 months of capex and buybacks, but moving roughly $300B at market price without harming their TPU and Cloud partnership is unlikely. Alphabet is cheaper than Anthropic on sales or earnings multiples; the market likely expects a 2027 capital raise. x.com x.com … Show more
Alphabet's businesses beyond search are why it will lead the real AI boom. Google Cloud, DeepMind and Waymo broaden its reach, and its $900 million SpaceX investment is now worth $85 billion. Fear emerging as the shares fall is an opportunity; a decline toward the buy zone is welcome, even as Q3 capex has taken a large hit out of free cash flow. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Alphabet's higher capex guidance compounds the risk that already demanding revenue estimates must fall. The Street expected 25% revenue growth in 2027 and 21% in 2028; as 2028 earnings consensus resets, a 10% stock decline could be justified. x.comÂ
Alphabet's AI-mode ads could move the needle, giving the stock a tentative upside bias despite search uncertainty. Search supplies $39b of $41b in quarterly segment profit, but its revenue growth slowed to 12% and will likely slow to 10% in Q4. Queries remain healthy; Alphabet says AI queries are mostly additive. Cloud revenue grew 96% year over year. At 18x a slightly above-consensus 2027 GAAP EPS estimate for over 30% operating profit growth, the stock remains a tough call. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Alphabet's rapid cloud growth and diverse profit sources make it a long-term buy below 20x forward earnings. Cloud grew 103% this quarter, despite short-term fears about search and heavy spending. x.comÂ
Alphabet's core Search growth is slowing while AI spending surges, making the selloff look deserved despite fast Cloud growth. Search growth fell from 19% to 17% to 12% over three quarters; Search now represents just under half of revenue. The stock could fall to $250, though Amazon is the preferred buy. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Amazon and Alphabet offer early exposure to Anthropic through their shares, and both are better run companies than Anthropic. x.comÂ
Alphabet's revised analyst price targets still imply substantial upside after its 10% drop. BNP Paribas, BMO, JPMorgan, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Fubon and Baird cut their targets, but the new $375-$425 range remains 30-47% above the current share price; is this a buy-the-dip opportunity? x.comÂ
Alphabet is down because of negative free cash flow and stock offerings, even though everything else is firing on all cylinders, with cloud revenue up 82% per @Venu_7_. Q2 2026 free cash flow was -$5.9B, driven by heavy capex; a slowdown in AI spending could help the hyperscaler FCF trade. Bidding again makes sense in a month or two, or once the stock starts reversing. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Alphabet remains fundamentally strong because revenue rose 25%, Cloud grew 103% to $30.7B with record margins, and search queries reached a five-year high. Ads grew 12% instead of 17% expected, while 2027 capex rises again, so the market is repricing it from a cash-printing ad company into an AI spender. x.comÂ